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Dylan Larkin's performance at World Championship encouraging for Red Wings

Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, left, celebrates after scoring for the U.S. next to Russia's Vladislav Namestnikov during a group A match between Russia and USA at the 2017 Hockey World Championships in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on May 16, 2017.(Photo: Monika Skolimowska, AP)

Most encouraging was how well Dylan Larkin played at center, after a turbulent sophomore NHL season in Detroit.

Larkin produced consistently, with points in six of eight games, and dominated in the faceoff circle, where he won 91 of 146 face-offs, or 62.3%. Larkin, 20, led USA with eight assists, and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 10 points, behind Johnny Gaudreau’s 11 points.

Two of Larkin’s best games came against elite competition, as he had two assists in a 4-3 victory over Sweden, and a goal and an assist in a 5-3 victory over Russia.

USA coach Jeff Blashill played Larkin a ton: He logged 22:47 minutes against Sweden, and 21:13 against Russia. The least Larkin played was against Denmark (18:33), Slovakia (18:34) and Italy (18:55). In the quarterfinal loss to Finland, Larkin played 23:10, including being on the ice in the last minute.

The experience should bolster Larkin’s confidence. He’s one of many Wings in need of a bounce-back season in 2017-18. His success on face-offs is especially encouraging, as the Wings need Larkin to succeed as a center. He was moved back to wing after a short, unsuccessful stint at center to start the season, but played the position again down the stretch with improved results. He took another big step forward at the World Championship.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard also thrived for the U.S. Howard’s best game came against Sweden, when he made 39 saves. The Russians didn’t get a lot of shots, but some of the 16 saves Howard made in that game were tough ones. In the Finland game, Howard got beat on a second rebound during a power play, and a 2-on-1 rush. Howard made six starts, and forged a 1.86 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.

Danny DeKeyser also played for the U.S.; the only other Wings player at the tournament was Petr Mrazek.

Mrazek was less impressive in four starts for the Czech Republic, manning the nets against Canada, Finland, Slovenia and Switzerland. He compiled a 2.47 goals-against average and .881 save percentage. He did not start the quarterfinal game, as the Czechs instead went with their KHL goalie.